First European company to join Trans-Caspian International Transport Route

The Grampet Group, the largest private rail freight and logistics operator in Romania and in Central and South Eastern Europe, joins the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) Association, an initiative of Chinese, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan governments for the development of a new Asia – Europe multimodal transports corridor. TITR starts from Southeast Asia and China, runs through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and further to European countries.

“We are honored to join this partnership that brings us closer to a strategic objective we have set 20 years ago – connecting the North Sea and the East China Sea by rail,” said Gruia Stoica, President of Grampet Group. “At that time, we were an entrepreneurial company in a small country, at the borders of two continents. Today we are one of the European industry leaders and the first European society to become a member of this strategic alliance.”

The operators from Grampet Group own and manage a park of approximately 20,000 wagons and 400 locomotives. Theose operators have an annual volume transport of approximately 22 million tonnes in commodities, 20% of it at the European level.

The company officials estimate that joining the Trans-Caspian Route will stimulate the development of intermodal traffic in Romania, as well as in neighboring countries.

“Grampet Group admission to TITR finalizes the construction of a new route China – the European Union. Basically, we are opening five countries from the community (Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Austria) in this corridor, through the rail operators in our group. It is a confirmation of the fact that Romania too has private capital companies capable of participating in international complex projects,” Sorin Chinde, General Manager of Grup Feroviar Roman, underlined.

“This alliance may transform Romania into a logistics platform for Europe and Asia, generating around 100,000 new jobs and over one billion Euro in state budget contributions,” Gruia Stoica added.

Grampet Group joining TITR was announced during an event organized by the National Company Maritime Ports Administration S.A. Constantza (NC MPA) and the ‘Middle Corridor – Trans-Caspian International Transport Route’, an event attended by some of the most relevant representatives of the transports industry in Romania, and members and partners of the ‘Middle Corridor – Trans-Caspian International Transport Route’ Association, including companies from China, Kazahstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route spans a total of 9,500 kilometers, out of which 860 kilometers across the Romanian territory (Rail corridor IV, Constanta Port – Curtici).

An initiative of Chinese, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijani governments, the project aims for the development of multimodal transports corridor connecting China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, and Europe. The main objective of the association is a simplification of administrative formalities by ensuring a competitive enviroment and providing support to companies in different countries by developing their business across the Trans-Caspian Corridor.

Established almost 20 years ago, Grampet is today the largest private rail freight and logistics operator in Romania and in Central and South Eastern Europe. Its 16-company structure is strategically designed to span the entire chain of rail transport solutions and products, thus offering clients an integrated experience at the highest level of competence: freight railway transport, building, repairs and upgrading of rolling stock, spare parts production, lease of rolling stock, freight transhipment, logistic services, as well as innovative IT solutions for railway operators.

With a declared objective to connect the Atlantic Ocean through the North Sea, to the Pacific, through the South China Sea, Grampet Group is one of the main drivers for the development of transport corridors which connect Europe and Asia.

Its flagship company – Grup Feroviar Roman (GFR), is the biggest private railway transport operator in Romania, with a total market share of approximately 30%, and a strategic position in key industries such as Oil & Gas, Constructions or Agribusiness. Also, 20% of the GFR transports activities are international. The operator has agreements with sister-companies in the group, as well as with state-owned and private rail operators in Hungary, Bulgaria, Moldova Republic, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Poland, Austria, Germany, and Greece.

In parallel, the group has an intense research and development activity, aimed at developing technical solutions that provide clients with a transparent and real-time experience of services. In this respect, Grampet Group launched its e-client portal last year – a first in Romania, which is a tool for client relationship management throughout the entire process, from posting of orders to billing.